Bean Buzz May 2009
PUBLISHED: May 13, 2009
The Bean Buzz What has Melissa been up to since January??? PROTECTING THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT Melissa addressed local Sierra Club members and volunteers at the Spring Creek Forest Preserve's annual Earth Day brush clearing in April. She spoke to over 100 volunteers and participated in the clean-up, along with several of her nephews. The group cut buckthorn, removed trash and even reseeded the prairie. When speaking to the crowd, Melissa encouraged everyone to work together in an effort to reduce our nation's dependency on foreign oil; invest in clean, renewable, and alternative energy resources; promote new emerging energy technologies; develop greater efficiency; and, address the threat of global climate change. WORKING TO INCREASE ACCOUNTABILITY Melissa continues to be committed to increasing accountability and fiscal responsibility in Washington. She has reintroduced legislation that would increase legislative transparency by allowing easier access to the voting records of elected officials, and is calling for a bipartisan commission to investigate reforms to our nation's entitlement programs and federal budgeting process. HELPING SMALL BUSINESS ACCESS CREDIT As a member of the Small Business Committee, the Congresswoman has been a leading voice for the importance of access to credit for the small business community. Days after a visit by Bean and her New Dem colleagues to the White House, where she personally implored the President to move quickly to restart the flow of credit to small businesses, the President announced that the government would buy up $15 billion in Small Business Administration loans, freeing up capital from community banks to restart lending to these vital employers. IMPROVING VETERANS BENEFITS With the new GI Bill signed, Melissa and her staff are working to connect veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan and other recent engagements to education benefits previously unavailable. HELPING OUR SCHOOLS The Congresswoman met recently with local school officials from across her district to discuss ways for them to best use federal tax dollars and to help them fully access federal programs funded in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Bean Team Volunteers We've had a great response from our volunteers. Not only have they been in the political office stuffing envelopes, making phone calls for events and to update information, but they have also been out in the field working hard for Melissa. PARADE SEASON IS HERE! We have an entire summer of parades and are always looking for people to join in. It is a great chance to meet the Congresswoman and enjoy the wonderful summer weather. Parades are an important way to show your enthusiasm for Melissa and are also great fun. In years past, we've had people bring their pets, children, and even a soccer team to march along side our Congresswoman! This year we are also looking for someone with a Domestic vehicle (preferably a convertible) to drive in the parade. We will kick off parade season on Memorial Day. We will be marching in Wauconda and Lake Villa, and we'd love to have to join us. Send us an email (Kelly@melissabean.com) or call (847-304-0056) for more information. Memorial Day Parades -- May 25th Wauconda Line Up Time: 9:15am Place: Wauconda High School Lake Villa Line Up Time: 12:15pm Place: Peter J. Palombi School Postcards for Friends Meet the Staff The November elections seem long past, but the reality of politics is the work never stops. With an increasingly desperate opposition still active in the region, our operation remains active. Many of you know our Finance Director, Pat Reynes, and Anna Drechsler, the part time Office Manager, who were crucial parts of our campaign and remain on the job in the off year. Our newest Bean Team member is Kelly Mazeski, from Barrington, Illinois, who has joined our staff as the part time Outreach Coordinator. Kelly spent two years of working on the Obama presidential campaign, where her primary responsibility was energy and environmental policy outreach in battleground states. She coordinated efforts with state campaign staff, local leaders, and elected officials to deliver Obama's energy and environmental message to potential supporters and volunteers through small group events in each state. As a former Village Trustee and Zoning Board of Appeals Board Member for North Barrington, she has a working knowledge of local politics and the cooperation it takes to maintain and improve the quality of life for residents and voters. We're so glad to have Kelly aboard and we know many of you will be hearing from her soon! Events Brunch at the BarN Over 130 Bean supporters joined Melissa at the Barn of Barrington for our annual brunch in March. New members of the political team were introduced and there was a discussion led by Melissa on what the first 60 days of the Obama administration had accomplished. THANK YOU TO OUR VOLUNTEERS Many of our volunteers gathered at Lindy's in Wauconda for a "thank you" event in April. The setting was beautiful and the questions thought provoking. Plans for the rest of the year were laid out and we got more sign ups for parades, signature gathering and other upcoming volunteer needs. As always, please don't hesitate to call or email us!
555 N. Main St.
133 McKinley Avenue
The Bean Campaign has postcards that can be given to friends and potential volunteers encouraging them to sign up for e-mail updates. E-mail is the least expensive, most efficient form of communication, so it is important for us to increase our number of contacts to keep our costs down. We are looking for ten people to help us pilot this new outreach program. You will receive ten Melissa Bean postcards to distribute to friends, neighbors and colleagues. The postcards can be returned to you or mailed to our campaign office with new emails for our list. 
